Originally Posted by dolmstead

So I just had my first road trip since I picked up my new Q8 last week. I did some testing at highway speeds for different MPH and noticed the MPG I'm getting is highly dependant on what speed your traveling at of course. Anyways these were for about 15 minutes each on flat Florida highways with ACC Standard set at 65MPH I was getting 30MPG, at 70MPH I was getting 28MPG, and at 75MPH I was getting 26MPG. My car has less that 500 miles on it so its brand new but thats what I was getting for MPG on the highway. I'll test again after a few K and see if it improves at all.

Originally Posted by dolmstead

So I just had my first road trip since I picked up my new Q8 last week. I did some testing at highway speeds for different MPH and noticed the MPG I'm getting is highly dependant on what speed your traveling at of course. Anyways these were for about 15 minutes each on flat Florida highways with ACC Standard set at 65MPH I was getting 30MPG, at 70MPH I was getting 28MPG, and at 75MPH I was getting 26MPG. My car has less that 500 miles on it so its brand new but thats what I was getting for MPG on the highway. I'll test again after a few K and see if it improves at all.

Originally Posted by markcincinnati

Whatever you (or others) decide is the optimal pressure, I've found that +2 in the fronts (cold, of course) will improve the handling due to most Audi's (other than the R8) nose-heaviness.

We drive a LOT of highway miles and are already sneaking up on 3,000 miles (and we're expecting the "new engine" at 5,000 miles as per usual) and the trip computer registers between 18.5 and 23 based on several factors including speed and, recently, high winds. My guess is, at 5K miles, the mileage will be (in our circumstances) at least 22 MPG, but around town, the mileage really sucks especially if the transmission can't get higher than 4th gear. In our case, we will be changing the oil at 5,000 miles. Although hardly a direct comparison, our previous three Audis all had the V6T (or some variant) that is in the Q8 and my S4. The mileage improvement (and power improvement) is most noticeable starting at 10,000 miles. The Q8's heft (5,000+ pounds) seems to beg for the "mild" hybrid to be a bit less mild and a little more helpful, especially at the kind of speeds that are common in stop and go or slow and go traffic. My guess is THAT won't happen as the e-Tron foreshadows things to come (and I would assume will happen sooner once battery life can offer an easily repeatable 300+ mpg with ample power all the while.) There surely is some reason that Audi has decided to not go to either a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid which, I would assume, could get the range on a tankful of fuel (and charged batteries) to perhaps 600+ miles.

We regularly drive 100 miles one-way, and that really makes a "best case" range of 248 miles too close for comfort with respect to causing range anxiety (especially since charging stations are not -- yet -- plentiful. For us to drive from Cincinnati to Columbus we would have to find a Walgreens (they have charging stations at several of the stores in Columbus) and park there, plugged in. This makes little sense since parking at a Walgreens, unless it is located near our destination, is improbable especially since we would be stretching the "service" Walgreens is offering which is for a customer to charge while he/she is shopping in that Walgreens.

All the "energy" spent on promoting e-cars can't (currently) point to either great range (although it is pretty good, these days) or "widely available" charging stations.

Like everything else, e-cars (assuming they are the future of the automobile) should come down in price once rapid charging, pervasive availability of charging locations, and vehicle price fall in line with similarly capable petrol-engined vehicles.

At Costco gas prices ($2.59 for premium), a full tank on our Q8 yields a range of 515 miles to empty range, and a fill-up, even in the long lines at Costco, takes under 15 minutes. A super-charger takes 30 minutes for a reported 80% charge, which seems to me to be well under 200 miles to empty. The amount of oil, the cheapness of gas, the availability, etc., makes the Q8's thirst less of a financial issue than we've seen in some time. So, for the level of performance+luxury the Q8, nicely equipped for $80K yields, the e-tron is still a really hard sell.

If you're unhappy with the mileage of the Q8, remember that a lot of the world will be buying diesel Q8s and may not share our disappointment (assuming that is what we have) with the Q8's thirst -- of course, who's to blame for our not being offered a diesel Q8 (they dug their own grave, so to speak, in that regard).

Of course, if you're buying a vehicle that seems ready, willing, and able to have its price go north of $90K and its mileage is a problem, well you may find it difficult for folks to have much sympathy. Although I love our Q8, I have to assume it lists as high as it does "because the market is willing to bear it." "We've met the enemy and he is us," kind of thing.

We all want the Q8 to be a bit less thirsty, I'd imagine -- but, for now, count on a maximum, I would guess of 24 MPG (downhilll with a tail wind) and a normal MPG closer to 18-20 especially if you only drive "sometimes" on the highway in 8th gear. Dare I say, "first world problem?"